Safety harness for children



v Dec. 9, 1958 P. M. JOHNSON SAFETY HARNESS FOR. CHILDREN FiledAug. 9, 1955 United States Patent O" SAFETY HARNESS FOR CHILDREN Phyllis M. Johnson, Cooper Township, Kalamazoo County, Mich.

Application August 9, 1955, Serial No. 527,239

4 Claims. (Cl. 128-134) This invention relates to improvements in a safety harness for children.

The main objects of this invention are:

First, 'to provide a safety harness for children which may be readily adapted to various types and sizes of beds and may be quickly adjusted to the child and while preventing the child from falling from the bed permits substantial movement, both in recumbent and sitting up positions.

Second, to provide a safety harness having these advantages which does not present hard or bunched surfaces, is economical to produce and may be laundered as required.

Objects relating to details and economies of the invention will appear from the description to follow. The invention is defined and pointed out in the claims.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the harness of my invention attached to a bed and as applied or adapted to a child.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view, partly folded to illustrate structural details.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the jacket as positioned when the wearer is in sitting position.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating one of the recumbent positions the wearer may assume.

In the accompanying drawing, 1 represents a bed frame, 2 the side rails thereof, and 3 bedding. The safety harness of my invention is, however, adapted for attachment to various types of beds and comprises a tie strap 4 formed of flexible fabric of substantial width and of such length that it may be disposed flatwise across the bedding 3 as shown in Fig. 1 and tied or otherwise secured to the rails 'thereof as is indicated at 5.

The jacket-like body member 6 comprises a back portion 7, side portions 8 and the front portions 9, the jacket being open at the front and provided with closures such as the straps 10. The body member is conformed to provide armholes 11.

The holder straps 12 are preferably of flexible fabric and are of substantial width and attached at 13 to the sides of the body member below the armholes thereof. The other ends of the straps are attached at 14 to the tie strap 4 in longitudinally spaced relation, the ends of the straps being disposed flatwise upon the tie strap and secured thereto by stitching. The holder straps are of such length that at least one of them has substantial slack when the wearer of the jacket is in a recumbent position, permitting the wearer to turn and roll sidewise and assume various recumbent positions.

The figure 15 representing a child is shown in a central position in which case both holder straps are slack and the wearer may assume various recumbent positions, one being illustrated in Fig. 4, or may sit up as is illustrated in Fig. 3 and while sitting may take or assume various positions but is prevented from falling off the bed. This freedom ice of movement is an important feature of my invention. The attaching of the holding straps to the sides of the body member below the arms thereof effectively distributes the holding stresses or strains and the freedom of movement permitted minimizes the feeling of restraint.

The strap parts are made desirably of a stout but flexible fabric and are of considerable width and when folded do not provide objectionable lumps or bunches. The harness may be very economically produced and easily laundered.

I have not attempted to illustrate or describe other modifications and structural details or elaboration in design as it is believed that this disclosure will enable those skilled in the art to embody or adapt my invention as may be desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A safety harness for children comprising a tie strap of flexible fabric and of substantial width and of such length that it may be disposed flatwise across the bedding of a bed and attached in such position to opposed frame members of the bed, a jacket-like body member open at the front and comprising integral back and side and front portions conformed to provide armholes, and holder straps of foldably flexible fabric of substantial width, one attached flatwise at one end to one side of the body member below the armhole thereof and the other similarly attached to the other side of the body member, the other ends of the holder straps being disposed flatwise upon and secured to the tie strap in longitudinally spaced relation to each other, said holder straps being of such length that they have substantial slack when the wearer of the jacket is in a centraliy recumbent position permitting the wearer to roll and turn sidewise and assume various recumbent positions and also to sit up and while sitting up to swing and sway and assume various positions.

2. A safety harness for children comprising an elongated tie strap of flexible material and of such length that it may be disposed and secured upon the bedding of a bed, a jacket-like body member having armholes, and a pair of holder straps of flexible material and of approximately the same length, one attached at one end to one side of'the body member below the armhole thereof and the other similarly attached to the other side of the body member, the other ends of the holder straps being attached to the tie strap in longitudinally spaced relation to each other, said holder straps being of such length that they have substantial slack when the wearer of the body member is in a recumbent position permitting the wearer substantial freedom to assume various recumbent positions and also permitting the wearer to sit up and while sitting up have substantial freedom of body movement and assume various positions relative to the tie strap.

3. A safety harness for children comprising an elongated tie strap of flexible material and of such length that it may be disposed upon and secured flatwise across the bedding of a bed, a front opening jacket-like body member provided with armholes, a pair of straps of flexible foldable material and of substantial length, each attached at one end to one side of the body member below the armhole thereof and extending laterally and in opposite directions from the body member with their outer ends attached to the tie strap in spaced relation relative to each other and in longitudinally spaced relation on the tie strap, said holder members being of such length and their points of attachment to the tie strap being such that there is substantial slack in both of the holder straps when the body member is in a generally central position relative to the points of attachment of the holder straps to the tie strap and so that a wearer of the body member is free to I? assume various recumbent and upright positions relative to the tie strap without the restraint of either of the holder straps, the holder straps acting only to limit such movements to a predetermined area.

4. A safety harness for children comprising an elongated tie strap of flexible material which may be disposed upon and secured across the bedding of a bed, a front opening jacket-like body member, a pair of straps of flexible material and of substantial length, each attached at one end to one side of the body member and extending laterally therefrom in opposite directions, their outer ends being attached to the tie strap in spaced relation to each other and in longitudinally spaced relation on the tie strap, said holder members being of such length and their points of attachment to the tie strap being such that there 15- 2,693,177

is substantial slack in both of the holder straps when the body member is in a generally central position relative to the points of attachment of the holder straps to the tie strap and so that a wearer of the body member is free to assume various recumbent and various upright positions relative to the tie strap without being subject to the limit movement restraint of either of the holder straps.

References Cited in the file of this patent- UNITED- STATES PATENTS 2,102,281 Pringle Dec. 14, 1937 2,439,658 Holloway Apr. 13, 1948 2,521,175 Kruse Sept. 5, 1950 Barstow Nov. 2, 1954. 

